Public Policy Decisions Made by Politicians - Essay Example

Running Head: Public Policy Decisions Public Policy Decisions Customer’s name: Institution: Customer’s Course Tutor’s Name 8th March, 2015 Introduction Public policy is termed as a goal-oriented course of action that is followed by the government in dealing with issues and problems that are facing their countries. All public policies are based on laws, and they are set by a large group of people with the legislators included. It has been noted that, a significant number of public policy decisions that are made by politicians are usually driven by media pressure and public opinion and the society suffers. This essay sets out to discuss this concept in details by use of rigorous academic research and use of some real life examples in the contemporary life so as to support the argument being made. Discussion How the media pressure drives the public policy decision made by politicians Mass media can and most often plays an essential role in policy making decisions. Research that has already been carried out is less clear whether the media can influence the readers thinking or reinforce their existing opinions and views. In fundamental nature, there are two probable routes of pressure. One of the possible ways is by putting issues on the agenda or also by affecting the manner in which issues are discussed and framed. The second way deals with totally taking issues off the agenda by terming them as unthinkable or by deterring the politicians from commissioning the evaluations (Habermas, 2006). But with time, these relationships are now seen as being one way in that they ascertain that the media also play an essential role in the delivery chain for various policies which relies on public awareness. A good example of an issue that the media plays an important role in decision-making is immigration. The media coverage of issues such as immigration influences views and contributes to the public expressing concerns in relation to the number of illegal immigrants in the country. Some issues affecting a country are actively campaigned for in the media in the year 2000 such as fuel prices and also matters relating to health scares had notable impact in that, some parents even refused to take their children for vaccination. Campaigns that were strongly supported by the media and that are also reflected in parliamentary pressure have in some instances influenced particular issues such as troop equipment, taxation of the childcare vouchers. This in a way suggests that, another route that the media can influence the decision made with regard to policy making is through the precise identification and amplifying of the public concerns on issues and reflecting back to the government in power (Craig, 2004). In relation to outcomes, politicians and the decisions they make are influenced by the media even when the influence of the public seems to be unclear. The media also affects policy-making by ensuring that issues are taken off the table and labelled as being unthinkable. This category of actions is not fixed but the adversarial attitude of the press and the contradictory attitude of the political systems makes it very difficult for the politicians to accept that they were wrong after the media claims and carry out the necessary changes (McNair, 2011). This make the politician's worry of publishing evaluations of any impacts associated with policies since they fear that they would be seen as critical headlines, and the public may react by holding demonstrations to shows that they disapprove the decisions being made. Governments also rely greatly on the media for them to transmit critical information to the public. The media also affects public decision-making in the manner in which it reports its news. This is based on the fact that, the way in which they report the news can condition for the response of the public and most particularly on issues that revolve around uncertainty and risk. If the media covers a matter in great depth, the politicians are bound to look at it and solve it (Maddison, 2007). How public opinion drives public policy decision made by politicians A great number of social scientists who have studied public policies and public opinions in democratic countries ascertain that, public opinion plays an essential role in public policy decisions and the more salient a particular issue will be to the public, the stronger the relationship between the two. Lastly, the relationship is at time threatened by particular interest organisations, for instance, the political parties and those that belong to the economic elite class. Based on a high number of articles, the relationships between policy-making and public opinion have not been clearly defined. Most research depicts that, in general, most policy makers tends to follow the views of the public (Page & Shapiro, 1992. Stimson 2004; Monroe 1998), other researchers shows that policy makers such as the politicians ignore the opinion of the public in public policy decisions (Korpi,1989; Schwartz, 1995), others researchers also found out that, the policy elites usually drives the view of the public towards their own viewpoint rather than the vice versa (Kingdon, 2003, Zaller 1992). At the same time, there are other researchers that argue that public opinion does not exist, and it is just an artefact of measurement. Based on a study conducted by Kingdon 2003, the relation between public policy and public opinion tends to vary from one issue to another. Childs further notes that, public opinion tend to influence public policy in two significant ways. The first way is that public opinion influences the decision makers through dissatisfaction. The other influence is a negative one in that, the public policy makers such as the politicians makes use of the knowledge that the public is tolerant to confine the policy options since it is aware that the public may not accept some of their proposed solutions. This also leads to Childs further argument that, policy makers are usually reluctant to make known their stand on particular issues and most especially when there is widespread and popular disapproval from the public. The idea of public policy decisions being influenced by public opinion is further articulated by Luttbeg 1981. He displays the connection by making use of two basic models that is the no coercive models and the coercive models. Based on him, the coercive models the public applies pressure either potential or real pressure so as to force the lawmakers to enact the desired electorate desired policies. In logical sense, it may not seem necessary for the general public to coerce the politicians or any other public officials to fulfil their will. The non-coercive models assert that, public policy can be bale to reflect the opinion of the public devoid of a direct threat to the policymakers. It has also been acknowledged that substantial congruence exists between opinion and policy decisions and most especially when the opinion changes are sustained and extensive and the issues under observation are salient. An extraordinary event is more likely to lead to short-term change in terms of ideas (Maddox, 2005). A good example of this case was the arrest of Saddam Hussein, and this event had a short run effect on the approval of war against Iraq but it can also be noted that, it was not prolonged. In instances when there is a substantial and sustained change in regard to opinions, the lawmakers will have no option but to notice it and act accordingly. They will, therefore, reach large as well as continuous changes in public opinion. The society suffers as a result because some of their opinions are usually guided by the media, and they lack adequate information on the issues being discussed. The media need to play the role of an intermediary between the government and the general public (Clawson & Oxley, 2008). They need to deliver the accurate and reliable information to the people to aid them in decision-making. In the end, the society suffers since the decisions made at times are too harsh or lack no benefits to the society. Additionally, the politicians at times push forward information that may favour the manufacturers, and thus the general public suffers. This is as a result of the vested interest that the politicians may have on the individual corporation, and thus change the public policy decisions. Conclusion Based on the above discussion, it is clearly evident that mass media and public opinion plays an essential role in public policy decision made by politicians. The public need to be well informed on the various social issues that are affecting them and this enables them to make clear and concise decisions. Additionally, the media need to deal with all matters that are affecting the society, and this will allow the public to offer accurate opinions based on their evaluation of the individual cases. Politicians should also act for the well being of the electorate that elected them. They should always consider what is good for the people and act accordingly. The media also needs to play an essential role in making known to the public the various issues that their country is facing. They should also come back to the public to inform them of the actions that the government has taken and the public policy decisions that have been made in regard to various issues. 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